"I was the one who publicly expressed my desire to go to Real Madrid. I ended up being, even involuntarily, responsible for the poor relationship between the two clubs."

Yet the Portuguese winger, reigning double footballer of the year in England after helping Manchester United to the Premier League title and a Champions League triumph last season, did not rule out an eventual move to Madrid at some point in his career.

"I knew Real Madrid were interested in signing me and that they had allegedly made a very high offer to Manchester United," he added.

"My desire was, for some time, that Manchester had accepted my transfer to Madrid. Saying otherwise would be to trick people and my own consciousness."

Last Modified on 08/08/2008 17:30

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